Washington, Sept. 29 -- In a major development for international trade, Washington has announced that select speciality medications and related components originating from India and 19 other partner jurisdictions will be exempt from import duties.

The decision comes as the United States moves forward with a sweeping 100 per cent levy on specified patented pharmaceutical lines. To formalise these changes, the US Commerce Department released an official list within the Federal Register detailing the nations qualifying for the zero-duty framework.

Under the guidelines, the waived categories feature medications geared towards rare medical conditions, fertility treatments, advanced cell and gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), an...